I Didn't Mean To Do It (But There's No Escaping Your Love)
by sinandmisery
Summary: Stacie has a knack for being able to tell when Aubrey's about to crack, so she takes it upon herself to teach her how to loosen up a bit. [Three shot]


The first time they really hang out is after the Riff-Off. Chloe's run off somewhere with Beca and Aubrey's still fuming from those dick licks winning on a technicality - one Aubrey's _never_ heard of, thank you very much - and their incessant bragging doesn't help. Stacie sidles up to her and offers a red Solo cup filled with warm beer, which Aubrey only accepts due to her frustration. (She is typically a liquor girl; vodka's her poison of choice, when she chooses to partake, because the smell of beer is awful and her hangovers are always the worst after a few drinks from a keg.)

"Relax. It was fun," Stacie offers, and Aubrey appreciates the way she doesn't say _Beca was right_ like Chloe would.

"Fun doesn't win championships," Aubrey states coolly, straightening her posture.

"Yeah, but it could," Stacie shoots back.

"Not like tradition can."

They finish their beers in silence, watching everyone else.

"I'll get you another," Stacie says, plucking Aubrey's cup from her hand.

Aubrey lets her eyes follow Stacie all the way to the keg, where she flirts with the High Note passing out refills. She watches, _hears_, Stacie laugh, loud and raucous, and feels a pang in her chest at the way she can just so easily _let go_.

The flush that creeps up on her cheeks? That's the alcohol and the crisp fall air, not jealousy.

Her teeth grit.

Not jealousy at all.

**-xxx-**

The next time they hang out, just the two of them, is after a particularly brutal rehearsal. Stacie's stopped groping herself with every step of choreography, Beca's no longer trying to change the set list every chance she gets, and Fat Amy's even doing a bit of cardio, but it's still the worst practice they've had since the SBT mixer, so she calls it quits and hour early.

"You should come over tonight," Stacie tells her after all the other girls have booked it. "Just hang out."

Aubrey opens her mouth to say no, but what comes out is a _yes_, earning a smile from the other girl.

"Sweet, I'm in Baker; come by at seven?"

"Sure," Aubrey says, and then watches Stacie flounce out of the rehearsal hall, the slam of the metal doors echoing in the empty room. She shoots a glance at the dry erase, but decides she's done for the day and picks up her bags.

**-xxx-**

"My roomie's pretty much non-existent," Stacie says when Aubrey enters the dorm. "She stays with her boyfriend."

"I'm sure that's convenient. For, y'know," Aubrey suggests.

Stacie laughs. "Yeah. I guess it could be."

They order take out, watch really bad reality TV, and split a bottle of Two Buck Chuck. It's nice - Stacie's not really as dense as she sometimes makes herself to be, and Aubrey's a little disappointed at her own willingness to judge so easily. Hanging out with Stacie is simple in ways hanging out with Chloe isn't anymore, not when she has to worry about Beca being over at any given moment lately.

"I'm sure it's hard," Stacie says out of nowhere while massaging some sort of lotion into Aubrey's hands. "You're doing a really great job keeping us all together.

Aubrey bites her lip to keep a moan from escaping - because, Jesus, apparently even her _hands _are tense as of late - and she sighs softly when Stacie moves on the next step of the manicure. "Yeah," she finally says. "It's not always easy."

**-xxx-**

"You're not walking back across campus tonight," Stacie tells her when Aubrey tries to gather her things and leave. "It's one in the morning and we've split almost three bottles of wine."

"I'm not drunk," Aubrey insists, and she's not, really; she can hold her alcohol quite well. It's in the Posen blood.

"I know," Stacie agrees. "But it's late."

"I have a rape whistle."

"And I have an extra bed."

"Fine," Aubrey relents. "But only because walking across campus in these heels sounds awful right now."

Stacie smiles and digs through a drawer to give Aubrey something to sleep in.

"More Kardashians?" Stacie asks once they've both changed into something more comfortable.

"Sure," Aubrey says, and as she climbs back in Stacie's bed, she realizes this is the first genuinely _great_ night she's had since senior year started. "Thanks for this," she says. "I needed it."

"I know," Stacie says with a smile.

Aubrey just rolls her eyes and sinks into the pillows.

**-xxx-**

Their "sleepovers" become a thing. Stacie has a knack for being able to tell when Aubrey's about to crack and extends an invitation that is always gratefully accepted and leads to Aubrey chilling out, even if it's only for the night.

Stacie gets Aubrey in ways no one else seems to, not even Chloe. Especially not now when she's so busy with Beca.

"What does she even see in her, anyway?" Aubrey rants one night over greasy pizza and red wine. "I mean she's so frustrating and that god damned makeup and those ear spikes..."

"Beca's cool," Stacie says with a smile. "She only antagonizes you because of the way you react."

"She's so frustrating though!" Aubrey exclaims again.

"She wants the same thing you want," Stacie tells her. "Just for different reasons."

"What do you mean?" Aubrey asks, genuinely confused. "Beca doesn't care about the Bellas."

"She does. Not like you, but she does. And she cares about Chloe."

"That doesn't mean she wants to win."

"She wants _Chloe_ to win," Stacie states simply.

"Beca's too selfish to want anything other than for herself."

Stacie shakes her head. "I know she frustrates you, but just watch her one day. Watch how she watches Chloe. The way she's always offering Chloe water during breaks to make sure her nodes aren't acting up. And the way they can talk through just a glance. Our little bad ass is totally whipped for the ginger."

"No way," Aubrey insists, shaking her head.

"Yes way."

Aubrey thinks on it and files the information away for later. Tonight is supposed to be about relaxing. "What about you?" Aubrey asks. "I thought he was a hunter or whatever. Haven't heard of any conquests lately. I'm not taking up all your time, am I?"

"Definitely not," Stacie says, squeezing Aubrey's knee gently. She chuckles lightly and shakes her head. "Definitely not."

**-xxx-**

In her four years at Barden, Aubrey has never seen the inside of the Treble house. Until now, of course, because Stacie is dragging her into one of their parties. And Aubrey means the dragging part quite literally; Stacie's three or four steps ahead despite the fingers of her left hand being laced with Aubrey's right. Two vodka bottles clink together in the bag she carries with her free hand when she knocks on the door.

"Live a little," Stacie says while they wait for an answer, smiling at the dour look on Aubrey's face. "If it sucks, we take the booze back to my place and have our own party._"_

**-xxx-**

"You're not living," Stacie says when she sneaks up behind Aubrey a few hours later. She plucks the cup from her hand and stares at it for a moment before frowning. "Is this your first?"

"Not in the drinking mood, I guess," Aubrey shrugs.

"Well you better get in the mood because it's hot tub time."

"Ew, no," Aubrey says, shaking her head. "There's not enough hot water and chlorine in the world to make me get in there."

"They're not gonna infect you with their douche germs. Plus it's mostly Bella's in there," Stacie says, gesturing to the hot tub where Fat Amy, Bumper, Beca, Chloe, and Jessica are all laughing and drinking. "C'mon, I brought an extra suit."

"Fine," Aubrey agrees. "But if Chloe or Beca accidentally grope me under the water, I'm done."

"Deal. But what if I grope you under the water?" Stacie teases, laughing when Aubrey's face instantly flares bright red. "I'm kidding. But that face was priceless."

Aubrey shakes her head and follows her up the stairs to change. This girl will absolutely be the death of her.


End file.
